1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a wound dressing, in particular, to an improved wound dressing for reducing post-operative swelling of a body part of a human or animal patient, or for controlling blood loss from wounds.
The invention also relates to a method for reducing post-operative swelling of a body member of a human or animal patient, or for controlling blood loss from wounds.
2. History of Related Art
Post-operative swelling results from the accumulation of bodily fluid around an operation wound. Post-operative swelling cannot be eliminated altogether because following an operation the wound needs a blood supply to enable healing which inevitably results in some leakage and, hence, swelling.
Since swelling can hinder recovery and in some cases lead to further complications, it is always an issue that is sought to be minimised.
The control of blood loss, especially following a serious accident, is of great importance as excessive loss of blood can hamper recovery leading to medical complications or even fatality.
The use of bandages is known in the art in order to minimise post-operative swelling or to control blood loss. The use of bandages is appealing since they are generally versatile in that they can be readily adapted for use on different body members and on wounds of different sizes.
However when used as an aid for minimising post-operative swelling, bandages can be bulky and cumbersome. This is especially the case in relation to head injuries where most of the bandage employed does not come into contact with the wound but rather is around the head merely holding a small part of the bandage against the wound. Moreover, wounds need to be checked periodically, to ensure that there is not excessive leakage of fluid from the wound. Generally, bandages are disposed of when a wound is checked and this is wasteful.
There are a number of devices known in the art directed at minimising post-operative swelling in patients undergoing surgery on the head.
WO2005/097022 discloses a post-operative head dressing comprising a rigid cap adapted to fit over the head of a patient, and a liner. The liner is a network of tubes of resilient material connected to a single opening through which gas may be introduced to pressurise the liner network. The liner expands against the cap to squeeze the head.
GB 2435833 discloses a post-operative head dressing comprising a cap adapted to fit over the head of a patient. The cap is a patchwork of compartments of airtight flexible material which are evacuated during use, whereby atmospheric pressure compresses the flexible material. The compartments are filled with beads, preferably polystyrene beads, so that, on air evacuation, the cap not only becomes rigid, but also gently pressed against the scalp to inhibit post-operative swelling and/or bleeding from head wounds.